Peter Mayhew, the actor who portrayed Chewbacca in nearly every Star Wars-related media up until his retirement in 2015, has passed away. He was 74. Mayhew suffered a heart attack on April 30, and died with his family by his side.
Mayhew was first cast as Chewbacca when George Lucas announced a casting call needing a tall actor to portray the now-famous Wookie. Mayhew was exceptionally tall, peaking at 7’3”, which would have him towering over the other Star Wars cast members. Mayhew recalls all he needed to do to win the role was simply stand up.
Mayhew would go on to portray Chewbacca in all three films in the original Star Wars trilogy - A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi. Other appearances as the character include the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special, making guest appearances on The Muppet Show and the Donny & Marie variety show, an unreleased mockumentary titled Return of the Ewok, as well as the theme park attraction Star Tours in the Disney theme parks.
Mayhew would reprise Chewbacca two more times in the main series, returning briefly for Revenge of the Sith, and then once more for The Force Awakens - while also recording lines for the animated series The Clone Wars. After Force Awakens, Mayhew retired from the role due to health reasons, with Joonas Suotamo replacing him in subsequent appearances. Mayhew would be listed in both The Last Jedi and Solo: A Star Wars Story as “Chewbacca Consultant.”
Outside Star Wars, Mayhew’s filmography was fairly limited, only making a handful of appearances in other roles for virtually unknown projects. He made a brief appearance in the 1978 British independent film Terror, as well as the 2008 neo-noir film Yesterday Was a Lie, as well as a brief appearance in a TV program titled Dark Towers. He also lent his voice in the English-language dub of Dragon Ball GT: A Hero’s Legacy. Outside of these, Chewbacca was his only other - and most famous - character.
Mayhew was described as a kind and gentle man. Mark Hamill stated “he’s a better man for just having known him,” Harrison Ford said about Mayhew’s portrayal of Chewbacca that he “invested his soul in the character and brought pleasure to Star Wars fans,” while George Lucas said of Mayhew’s love for the fans that “he knew how important the fans of the franchise were to it’s continued success and he was devoted to them.”
While Mayhew only had one famous role to his name, it was one that would solidify his place his in history, and would lead him to become a much-beloved figure.
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